The results of an election are shown in the table below. Candidate Fraction of votes Johnson $\dfrac{1}{9}$ Smith $\dfrac{7}{18}$ Dragovic $\dfrac{1}{2}$ What is the difference between the fractions of votes received by Dragovic and Johnson?
Explanation: To find the difference in the fractions of votes, we need to subtract. $\frac{1}{2}$ $\frac{1}{9}$ votes for Dragovik votes for Johnson difference ${\dfrac{1}{2}} - {\dfrac{1}{9}} = \text{ difference}}$ Our denominators need to be the same so we can subtract. What is the least common multiple for the denominators $2$ and $9$ ? The least common multiple of $2$ and $9$ is ${18}$ $\dfrac{{1}\times9}{{2}\times9} = {\dfrac{9}{18}}$ $\dfrac{{1}\times2}{{9}\times2} = {\dfrac{2}{18}}$ Now that the fractions have the same denominator, we can subtract: $\begin{aligned} {\dfrac{9}{18}} - {\dfrac{2}{18}} &= \dfrac{{9} - {2}}{18}\\ \\ &= \dfrac{7}{18} \end{aligned}$ The difference in votes between Dragovic and Johnson is $\dfrac{7}{18}$.